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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Ramadhan Timeline

The first revelation

The
most significant event that occurred during Ramadhan is the revelation
of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Prophet Muhammad (saw) was
in the cave in Mount Hira when the Angel Jibreel (as) came to him (saw)
with the first five ayat of Surah Al-Alaq.

"Ramadan
is the month in which was sent down the Quran as a guide to mankind
also clear signs for guidance and judgement." [Qur'an Al-Baqarah: 185]

In
the first year after the Hijrah, the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi
wassallam) sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib (ra) with thirty Muslim riders
to Saif al Bahr with a definitive task of intercepting a caravan
belonging to Quraish. It was a caravan of 300 people including Abu
Jahl bin Hisham. The two parties encountered each other and aligned in
preparation for fighting. Majdi bin 'Amr, on good terms with both sides,
happened to be there and managed to prevent an imminent clash.

2 A.H.

In
the second year of Hijrah the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaiyhi
wassallam) set out on the 8th Ramadhan with three hundred and five of
his companions mounted on seventy camels. The Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wassallam) and his companions set out to intercept a caravan of
their own goods that had been left in Makkah. It was led by Abu Sufyan,
himself, and estimated at 60,000 dinars. They were met by
a well-equipped army of the nobility of Quraish, intent on putting out
the light of Islam. Then the two sides advanced and drew near each other
at Badr on Friday morning on the 17th of Ramadhan. Despite being
outnumbered three to one and appearing weak and unseasoned, the Muslims
defended their faith with a burning desire to protect the Prophet
(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) and meet their Lord through martyrdom.
Allah (swt) gave them a decisive victory at Badr on this day of Ramadhan
that would never to be forgotten.

6 A.H.

In
6 A.H., Zaid ibn Haritha (ra) was sent to Wadi al-Qura at the head of a
detachment to confront Fatimah bint Rabiah, the queen of that area.
Fatimah had previously attacked a caravan led by Zaid (ra) and had
succeeded in plundering its wealth. She was known to be the most
protected woman in Arabia, as she hung fifty swords of her close
relatives in her home. Fatimah was equally renowned for showing open
hostility to Islam. She was killed in a battle against these Muslims in
the month of Ramadhan.

8 A.H.

By
Ramadhan of 8 A H., the treaty of Hudaibiya had been broken and the
Muslim armies had engaged the Byzantines in the North. Muhammad (saw)
felt the need to strike a fatal blow to Kufr in the Arabian Peninsula
and conquer the city of Mecca. Now the time had come to purify the Ka'ba
of nakedness and abomination. The Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wassallam) set out with an army having more armed men than
Al-Madinah had ever seen before. People were swelling the army's ranks
as it moved toward Makkah. The determination of the believers became so
awesome that the city of Makkah was conquered without a battle, on the
20th of Ramadhan. This was one of the most important dates in Islamic
history for after it, Islam was firmly entrenched in the Arabian
Peninsula. During the same month and year, after smashing the idols of
Makkah, detachments were sent to the major centres of polytheism and
al-Lat, Manat and Suwa, some of the greatest idols of Arabia, were
destroyed.

Such
was the month of Ramadhan in the time of the Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wassallam). It was a time of purification, enjoining the good,
forbidding evil, and striving hard with one's life and wealth. After
the death of the Prophet (saw), the Muslims under the Khilafah carried
on this tradition. Ramadhan continued to be a time of great trials and
crucial events.

92 A.H.

Ninety-two
years after the Hijrah, Islam had spread across North Africa, Iran,
Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Spain was under the tyrannical rule of
King Roderick of the Visigoths. Roderick had forced his six million
serfs and persecuted Jews to seek the aid of the Muslims of North
Africa. Musa ibn Husair, the Umayyad governor of North Africa,
responded by sending his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad at the head
of 12,000 troops. In Ramadhan of that year, they were confronted with a
combined Visigoth army of 90,000 Christians led by Roderick, himself,
who was seated on a throne of ivory silver, and precious gems, drawn by
white mules. After burning his boats, Tariq motivated the Muslims
warning them that Paradise lay ahead of them and defeat and the sea to
the rear. They burst with great enthusiasm and Allah (swt) manifested a
clear victory over the forces of disbelief. Not only were Roderick and
his forces completely annihilated, but Tariq and Musa succeeded
in liberating the whole of Spain, Sicily and parts of France. This was
the beginning of the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for
over 700 years.

658 A.H.

In
the seventh century A.H. the Mongols were sweeping across Asia
destroying everything that lay in their path. Genghis Khan called
himself "the scourge of God sent to punish humanity for their sins". In
617 A.H. Samarkand, Ray, and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more
than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H. Hulagu,
the grandson of Genghis Khan continued this destruction. Even Baghdad,
the leading city of the Muslim world, was ransacked. Some estimates say
that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage.
The Christians were asked to eat pork and drink wine openly while the
surviving Muslims were forced to participate in drinking bouts. Wine was
sprinkled in the masjids and no Adhan (call to prayer) was allowed. In
the wake of such a disaster threatening the whole Muslim world, Allah
(swt) raised up from the Mamluks of Egypt, Saifuddin Qutz, who united
the Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on Friday, 25 Ramadhan
658 A.H. (6 September 1260 CE). Qutz told his army to wait until
they finished the Friday prayers (Jummah Salah), "Do not fight them
until it is sunset and the shadows appear and the winds stir, and the
preachers and people start to implore Allah for us in their prayers",
and thereafter the fighting began. Jullanar, the wife of Qutz, was
killed during the battle. He rushed towards her saying, "Oh my beloved
one". She told him while uttering her last breath, "Do not say that, and
care more for Islam." Her soul left her body after telling her husband
that the Jihad for the sake of Allah and Islam is more important than
love and personal relations. Qutz stood up saying "Islamah…Islamah". The
whole army repeated that word after him until they achieved their
victory. Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the
help of Allah (swt), cunning strategy and unflinching bravery,
crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The
Muslims immediately started to chase the Mongolians, and Qutz entered
Damascus five days after the Ain Jalut battle. The chase continued to
Halab and when the Mongolians felt the approach of the Muslims they left
behind the Muslim prisoners. In the period of a month the Muslims were
able to restore Bilad El-Sham entirely from the hands of the Tartars and
the Mongolians.

682 A.H.

In
the year 682 A.H. (Ramadan, 4th July 1187 C.E.) Salahuddin Ayyubi with
the Muslim Mujahideen of the Khilafah fought one of the most important
battles in the history of Islam. The Muslims on this day, in one single
day, virtually routed all local Christian forces capable of defending
the Crusaders establishment in the Near East. Facing no
resistance, Salahuddin took his time to reach the city of Jerusalem on
9th October 1187 C.E. (Christian Era), a Friday, and the Holy city was
purified.

This
was the spirit of Ramadhan that enabled our righteous forefathers to
face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense activity,
spending the day in the saddle and the night in prayer whilst
calling upon Allah (swt) for His mercy and forgiveness. Today, the
Muslim world is faced with disunity, colonisation, widespread corruption
and economic deprivation. Surely we are in need of the Khilafah so that
the believers can walk in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet
(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam), the illustrious Sahabah, Tariq ibn
Ziyad, Qutuz, Salahuddin and the countless heroes of Islam. Surely we
should be of the believers who are unafraid of the threats of
the Kuffar, yet kind and humble amongst ourselves.

May
Allah (swt) make us from amongst that generation of Muslims who can
carry Islam to all corners of the globe and may He give us the
strength to undertake all hardships in the pursuit of His (swt)
pleasure.